Maven + Tiles + Struts2

[Matthias Zeilerbauer]

So I am playing a little bit with the struts2 features and try to integrate them in little example projects. I also use Maven because it is a nice feature to make depencies. But I don't know why my Application doesn't work.

My environment:
- Eclipse 3.6
- Tomcat 6
- struts 2.2.1
- tiles-plugin 2.2.1

This is my maven pom.xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<project>
	<modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
	<groupId>myPackage</groupId>
	<artifactId>MySampleTilesProject</artifactId>
	<packaging>war</packaging>
	<version>0.0.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
	<name>Struts 2 Starter</name>
	<url>http://www.myComp.com</url>
	<description>Struts 2 Starter</description>
	
	<!-- Tools -->
	<profiles>
    <profile>
      <id>default-tools.jar</id>
      <activation>
        <property>
          <name>java.vendor</name>
          <value>Sun Microsystems Inc.</value>
        </property>
      </activation>
      <dependencies>
        <dependency>
          <groupId>com.sun</groupId>
          <artifactId>tools</artifactId>
          <version>1.5.0</version>
          <scope>system</scope>
          <systemPath>C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_21\lib\tools.jar</systemPath>
        </dependency>
      </dependencies>
    </profile>
  </profiles>
	
	<dependencies>
		<!-- Junit -->
		<dependency>
			<groupId>junit</groupId>
			<artifactId>junit</artifactId>
			<version>3.8.1</version>
			<scope>test</scope>
		</dependency>

		<!--  Struts 2 -->
		<dependency>
            <groupId>org.apache.struts</groupId>
            <artifactId>struts2-core</artifactId>
            <version>2.2.1</version>
        </dependency>
        
        <!-- Struts2 Tiles-Plugin -->
        <dependency>
  			<groupId>org.apache.struts</groupId>
  			<artifactId>struts2-tiles-plugin</artifactId>
 			<version>2.2.1</version>
  			<scope>compile</scope>
		</dependency>

          <!-- Javasist -->
		<dependency>
            <groupId>jboss</groupId>
            <artifactId>javassist</artifactId>
            <version>3.7.ga</version>
            <scope>compile</scope>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
	
    <build>
      <finalName>MySampleTilesProject</finalName>
    </build>
</project>

This is my SayHelloAction:

package myTilesPackage.MySampleTilesProject;

import com.opensymphony.xwork2.ActionSupport;

public class SayByeAction extends ActionSupport {
	
	public String getMessage() {
		return "Bye";
	}
	
	public String execute() {
		return SUCCESS;
	}
}

this is my tiles-definition.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE tiles-definitions PUBLIC
      "-//Apache Software Foundation//DTD Tiles Configuration 2.0//EN"
       "http://tiles.apache.org/dtds/tiles-config_2_0.dtd"> 

<tiles-definitions>
	<definition name="mySampleTiles" template="/layout.jsp">
		<put-attribute name="header" value="/jsp/header.jsp"/>
		<put-attribute name="navigation" value="/jsp/navigation.jsp"/>
                <put-attribute name="body" value=""/>
	</definition>
	
	<definition name="mySampleTiles.SayHello" extends="mySampleTiles">
		<put-attribute name="body" value="/jsp/sayHello.jsp"/>
	</definition>
	
	<definition name="mySampleTiles.SayBye" extends="mySampleTiles">
		<put-attribute name="body" value="/jsp/sayBye.jsp"/>
	</definition>
</tiles-definitions>

this is my struts.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!DOCTYPE struts PUBLIC 
    "-//Apache Software Foundation//DTD Struts Configuration 2.0//EN"
    "http://struts.apache.org/dtds/struts-2.0.dtd">

<struts>
	<package name="myTilesPackage" extends="struts-default">
		<result-types>
			<result-type name="tiles" class="org.apache.struts2.views.tiles.TilesResult" />
		</result-types>
		
		<action name="sayHello" method="execute" class="myTilesPackage.MySampleTilesProject.SayHelloAction">
			<result name="success" type="tiles">mySampleTiles.SayHello</result> <!-- mySampleTiles.SayHello ist in default-tiles.xml als Definition deklariert -->
		</action>
		
		<action name="sayBye" method="execute" class="myTilesPackage.MySampleTilesProject.SayHelloAction">
			<result name="success" type="tiles">mySampleTiles.SayBye</result>
		</action>
	</package>
</struts>

web.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<web-app id="starter" version="2.4" 
         xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee" 
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" 
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee/web-app_2_4.xsd">
	
	<display-name>Struts 2 - Maven Archetype - Starter</display-name>
	
	<context-param>
	  <param-name> org.apache.tiles.impl.BasicTilesContainer.DEFINITIONS_CONFIG</param-name>
	  <param-value>/WEB-INF/definitions/default-tiles.xml</param-value>
	</context-param>
	
	<!-- Listener -->
	<listener>
  		<listener-class>org.apache.struts2.tiles.StrutsTilesListener</listener-class>
	</listener>
	
	<!-- Filters -->
    <filter>
        <filter-name>struts2</filter-name>
        <filter-class>org.apache.struts2.dispatcher.FilterDispatcher</filter-class>
    </filter>
	
    <filter-mapping>
        <filter-name>struts2</filter-name>
        <url-pattern>/*</url-pattern>
    </filter-mapping>   
    
    <!-- Welcome file lists -->
    <welcome-file-list>
        <welcome-file>layout.jsp</welcome-file>
    </welcome-file-list>

</web-app>

My error message is this:

07.09.2010 19:28:12 org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.RoleSecurityTagSupport doEndTag
SCHWERWIEGEND: Error executing tag: Attribute 'header' not found.
org.apache.tiles.TilesException: Attribute 'header' not found.
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.InsertAttributeTag.render(InsertAttributeTag.java:112)
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.RenderTagSupport.execute(RenderTagSupport.java:154)
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.RoleSecurityTagSupport.doEndTag(RoleSecurityTagSupport.java:75)
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.ContainerTagSupport.doEndTag(ContainerTagSupport.java:80)
	at org.apache.jsp.layout_jsp._jspx_meth_tiles_005finsertAttribute_005f0(layout_jsp.java:103)
	at org.apache.jsp.layout_jsp._jspService(layout_jsp.java:67)
	at org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70)
	at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
	at org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:377)
	at org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:313)
	at org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:260)
	at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
	at org.apache.struts2.dispatcher.FilterDispatcher.doFilter(FilterDispatcher.java:389)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:233)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:191)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:127)
	at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:102)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:109)
	at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:298)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:857)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11Protocol.java:588)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$Worker.run(JIoEndpoint.java:489)
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
07.09.2010 19:28:12 org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve invoke
SCHWERWIEGEND: Servlet.service() for servlet jsp threw exception
org.apache.tiles.TilesException: Attribute 'header' not found.
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.InsertAttributeTag.render(InsertAttributeTag.java:112)
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.RenderTagSupport.execute(RenderTagSupport.java:154)
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.RoleSecurityTagSupport.doEndTag(RoleSecurityTagSupport.java:75)
	at org.apache.tiles.jsp.taglib.ContainerTagSupport.doEndTag(ContainerTagSupport.java:80)
	at org.apache.jsp.layout_jsp._jspx_meth_tiles_005finsertAttribute_005f0(layout_jsp.java:103)
	at org.apache.jsp.layout_jsp._jspService(layout_jsp.java:67)
	at org.apache.jasper.runtime.HttpJspBase.service(HttpJspBase.java:70)
	at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
	at org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServletWrapper.service(JspServletWrapper.java:377)
	at org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.serviceJspFile(JspServlet.java:313)
	at org.apache.jasper.servlet.JspServlet.service(JspServlet.java:260)
	at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
	at org.apache.struts2.dispatcher.FilterDispatcher.doFilter(FilterDispatcher.java:389)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:235)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:233)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:191)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:127)
	at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:102)
	at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:109)
	at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:298)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:857)
	at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11Protocol.java:588)
	at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$Worker.run(JIoEndpoint.java:489)
	at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)

This is my project structure:


I really don't know why. Because I he must find the definition file??

[David Newton]

OGNL 3 has a javassist dependency; if you search this forum you'll see another discussion about this exact topic. One of the POMs (I forget which) declares it as a provided resource or something... I forget what I was told when I asked another S2 dev about this.

[Matthias Zeilerbauer]

So finally did it. After one whole day...crap! (now I will dream of tiles definitions and struts2 :rolleyes
My error was that I must not load a template file (layout.jsp) as a welcome site (at first).
Another thing what I found out was when you build a struts2-tiles webapp that you have to depend on javassist even when you use ognl 3.0!

My solution was to create an index.jsp which I declared as my welcome site which immediatly redirects to my SayHelloAction, which then loads the template file:

index.jsp:

<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="0;URL=sayHello.action">

When anybody needs my working version (also in .war available) than contact me: zeiler.matthias(at)gmx.at

[Matthias Zeilerbauer]

David Newton wrote:OGNL 3 has a javassist dependency; if you search this forum you'll see another discussion about this exact topic. One of the POMs (I forget which) declares it as a provided resource or something... I forget what I was told when I asked another S2 dev about this.

I had to declare it as "compile", because only "provided" had not implemented it. I don't know if that is a bug, and also don't think it is logic, since "provided" implements the depency when it doesn't exist?

[David Newton]

That's why I said OGNL 3 has a dependency on Javassist. "Provided" means that it's assumed the dependency will exist at runtime--it's not necessary at compile time, since you're not compiling OGNL itself.

[Matthias Zeilerbauer]

Ah ok. That means when I would compile ognl than javassit would compile also. thanks for making it clear to me.

[David Newton]

Actually, I mis-spoke--I don't know if OGNL has a compile-time dependency on jassist, but I *do* know it has a run-time dependency. I forget which pom it is, but one of them assumes javassist will be provided at run-time. Not sure about compile time.